Turbine driven sprinkler



April 1966 J. M. HAIT 3,244,373

TURBINE DRIVEN SPRINKLER Original Filed April 10, 1963 INVENTOR JAMES M.HAIT BY M ATTORNEY Unit ed States Patent 3,244,373 TURBINE DRIVENSPRINKLE James'M. Hait, San Jose, Calif., assignor to FMC Corporation,San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Original application Apr.10, 1963, Ser. No. 271,965. Divided and this application Feb. 8, 1965,Ser. No.

) Claims. (Cl. 239233) ;tially circular area;

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanismfor causing a sprinkler head to move in an arcuate path whiledischarging liquid.

, Another object is to provide a turbine powered mechaf nisii'l formovingasprinkler head along an arcuate path.

. Another object is to provide an efficient means for causj ling'asprinkler-head to oscillate back and forth through a 'gpr'e'determinedangular range of movement. I v Other and further features and objectsWlll become apparent from the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section taken centrally through a sprinklerconstructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention,the liquid supply conduit with which the sprinkler is associated beingshown partly in elevation.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary elevation showing a developed view of a guidetrack used in the sprinkler of FIG. 1.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 an oscillating sprinkler head 100 is illustratedwhich includes a nozzle 101 of flexibly resilient material such asrubber. This nozzle is identical to nozzle 40 shown in FIG. 1 ofcopending application Serial No. 271,965 and is adapted to be mounted inthe lower hub 102 of a guide ring 103 in the same manner as nozzle 40 ismounted. The hub 102 is externally threaded for engagement in a tappedtubular projection 104 on a liquid supply conduit 106. The guide ring103 has a generally cylindrical upper end 107 in which a recess 108 isformed. A toothed track 110 comprising :a rack is formed around theouter edge of the recess 108 and includes upper and lower parallel trackportions 114 and 115 and end portions 116 and 117. An oval guide grooveis formed at the inner end of recess 108 in the form of two spacedgrooves 118 and 119 that are separated by a tongue 120 and are connectedat their adjacent ends by curved grooves 121 and 122.

The upper end of nozzle 101 is rotatably retained as by ball bearings124 in the end of a carrier 125 in which a shaft 126 of a turbine wheel127 is rotatably journalled. A gear 130, which is formed integrally withshaft 126 or keyed thereto, has teeth formed on its periphery that areinclined at a particular angle relative to the axis of the gear and aredesigned to mesh with the inclined teeth of the rack formed by the track110. A central guide pin 131 of the gear 130 is disposed in the ovalguide groove. When the turbine wheel 127 is rotated by the jet of waterin the manner described in application Serial No. 271,965, the gear willroll along the track 110, causing the nozzle to move around the guidering 103. During movement in one direction, the guide pin 131 of theturbine shaft will be disposed in the upper groove 118 and the outer endof the nozzle will be in a raised position. When the end of the uppergroove 118 is reached, the pin 131 will be directed into the lowergroove and, accordingly, the nozzle will be lowered as it moves in anopposite direction around the guide track. This arrangement provides apositive driving engagement between the turbine wheel and the guide ring103 and, due to the two elevations of the nozzle, makes possible arelatively uniform distribution of the water.

Since the length of the guide track determines the angular sweep of thenozzle, it will be evident that, by providing guide rings having tracksof different lengths, the angular sweep of the nozzle may be changed atwill by substituting one guide track for another. For example, guidetracks designed to give a 90, a a 270", or any other desirableangularmovement of the nozzle may be provided.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the presentinvention provides a particularly eflicient apparatus for distributingwater over a portion of a circular area. It should be understood thatthere may be variations in the various structural members dis-closed andin the materials from which they are made without departing from theteachings of the invention. It will be evident that thenozzle mustalways be made of a material that can 'be flexed laterally from avertical position and that will tend to return toward that position.Further, the drive on the turbine wheel and the part which it engagesmust be provided with positively engaging parts, such as teeth, so thatrotation of the drive will cause movement of theupper end of the nozzlein an arcuate path. Since the impact of the jet of water on the turbinewheel will cause various loads on the turbine wheel shaft, includingradial and axial thrust loads, any suitable hearing members may be usedin association with the shaft to promote efficient rotation of theshaft.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. A sprinkler head comprising a support base mounted in fixed position,means defining a rack on said base, a flexible conduit having an inletend arranged to be connected to a source of liquid under pressure and adis charge end for emitting a jet of liquid, a turbine Wheel having ashaft projecting therefrom, turbine wheel mounting means carried by thedischarge end of said flexible conduit and rotatably receiving saidshaft for projection of the distal end portion thereof to a locationadjacent said rack, and a gear secured to the distal end portion of saidshaft and disposed in meshing engagement with said rack, said turbinewheel having peripheral vanes arranged to be sequentially moved into thepath of the jet of liquid discharge from said conduit whereby saidturbine wheel is rotated and said gear moves along said fixed rackcarrying said turbine wheel mounting means and the attached dischargeend of said conduit therewith.

2. A sprinkler head comprising a fixed support base having a centralapertured hub and an arcuate guide portion disposed above said hub andformed on an arc of a circle with the axis of said hub as center, aflexible conduit having an inlet end mounted in said hub and adapted toreceive liquid under pressure and a discharge end for emitting a jet ofliquid, means defining a continuous rack in the arcuate guide portion ofsaid base and including an upper run, a lower run and curved connectingruns, a continuous guide groove in said arcuate guide portion adjacentsaid continuous rack, a carrier rotatably mounting the discharge end ofsaid conduit, and a turbine wheel having a drive shaft rotatablyjournalled in said carrier, a gear secured to said shaft and disposed inmeshing engagement with said rack, a pin on said shaft disposed in saidguide groove, said turbine wheel having peripheral vanes movablesuccessively into the path of the jet of liquid discharged from saidconduit, whereby the jet of liquid causes rotation of said turbine wheelshaft and the movement of said gear along said rack, traversingconsecutively said upper run, a curved connecting run, the lower run andthe other connecting run to carry said carrier and the discharge end ofsaid conduit along an oscillating path during rotation of said turbinewheel.

3. A sprinkler head comprising a fixed support member, a flexibleconduit of normally straight configuration adapted to resiliently resistlateral flexing and having an inlet end mounted in fixed position insaid support member and in flow communication with the source of liquidunder pressure, the discharge end of said conduit being arranged to emita jet of the liquid, a turbine wheel mounted adjacent the discharge endof said conduit and having vanes disposed in the path of the jet issuingfrom said conduit to rotate said turbine wheel, a pin operativelyconnected between said fixed support member and the discharge end ofsaid conduit in guiding relation with said support member for guidingthe discharge end of said conduit relatively thereto along a pathdefined by said support member, engagement of said pin with said supportmember being effective to hold the discharge end portion of said conduitin a tensioned condition bent away from said normal straightconfiguration, and the resiliency of said conduit being effective tomaintain said guiding relation, and drive means powered by said turbinewheel and including a turbine wheel shaft, said drive means beingrotatable wit-h said turbine wheel in driving relation between saidfixed support member and the discharge end of said conduit for movingsaid discharge end of the conduit along said path.

4. The sprinkler head according to claim 3 and Wherein said fixedsupport member includes a fixed guide and track, said inlet end of saidconduit being fixed in substantially vertical position against lateralmovement in spaced relation to said guide and track, said turbine Wheel'being operatively connected to said discharge end of said conduitwhereby said drive means powered by said turbine wheel is in drivingengagement with said track and said pin is in guiding relation with saidguide, said pin and said drive means in cooperation with said guide andtrack effecting movement of said discharge end of said conduit aboutsaid fixed inlet end of said conduit to distribute the liquid emitted asa jet.

5. The sprinkler head according to claim 3 and wherein said supportmember comprises fixed arcuate guide means and a track in spacedrelation thereto, said track extending at least part way around saidconduit in radially spaced relation thereto below the discharge end ofsaid conduit, and said turbine wheel With the associated turbine wheelshaft and said pin and said drive means are carried by the discharge endof said conduit with said pin and said drive means being in operativeengagement with said arcuate guide means and said track respectively.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,847 3/1913Sprowl 239-234 1,297,818 3/1919 Fawkes 239-234 2,535,469 12/1950 Wanke239-234 2,963,228 12/1960 Hait 239-236 3,095,148 6/1963 Smith r. 239-236M. HENSON WOOD, ]R., Primary Examiner.

D. L. MOSELEY, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SPRINKLER HEAD COMPRISING A SUPPORT BASE MOUNTED IN FIXED POSITION,MEANS DEFINING A RACK ON SAID BASE, A FLEXIBLE CONDUIT HAVING AN INLETEND ARRANGED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE AND ADISCHARGE END FOR EMITTING JET OF LIQUID, A TURBINE WHEEL HAVING A SHAFTPROJECTING THEREFROM, TURBINE WHEEL MOUNTING MEANS CARRIED BY THEDISCHARGE END OF SAID FLEXIBLE CONDUIT AND ROTATABLY RECEIVING SAIDSHAFT FOR PROJECTION OF THE DISTAL END PORTION THEREOF TO A LOCATIONADJACENT SAID RACK, AND A GEAR SECURED TO THE DISTAL END PORTION OF SAIDSHAFT AND DISPOSED IN MESHING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RACK, SAID TURBINEWHEEL HAVING PERIPHERAL VANES ARRANGED TO BE SEQUENTIALLY MOVED INTO THEPATH OF THE JET OF LIQUID DISCHARGE FROM SAID CONDUIT WHEREBY SAIDTURBINE WHEEL IS ROTATED AND SAID GEAR MOVES ALONG SAID FIXED RACKCARRYING SAID TURBINE WHEEL MOUNTING MEANS AND THE ATTACHED DISCHARGEEND OF SAID CONDUIT THEREWITH.